Omiyukisan started around 825, after the Kofu Basin was hit by a great flood. It began as a ritual in which to pray for protection from water disasters. The deity of the shrine is a goddess called Ko-no-hana-no-sakuya-hime-no-mikoto, so the people carrying the mikoshi (shrine float) wear light kimono-like garments and hats adorned with flowers, and paint their faces powder white in the feminine style. They shout “sokodai, sokodai” as they carry the mikoshi. It is well-known as a matsuri which signals the arrival of spring in the Kofu Basin.